CHANGE A LIFE TODAY; BECOME A CROYDON FOSTER CARER

Foster Care Croydon: the statistics

Croydon foster care agency’s have as many as 380 children brought into care and placed each year because of concerns about their safety. UK wide, this increases to around 68,840 children (read more). Croydon foster care agency’s, such as LiKa Family Fostering, rely on the support of foster carers to look after these vulnerable children. Unfortunately recruiting Croydon foster carers is becoming more and more challenging. It is difficult for Croydon foster agencies to recruit the right people for the foster carer role (read more).

Foster Care Croydon: A child’s story

When David was a boy he wasn’t scared of the monsters under his bed at night, he was scared of what would happen to him if his parent’s didn’t stop fighting. David watched his mum and dad hurt each other, at first with names and then physically in a living nightmare most children only experience when they have a bad dream. But unlike other children, David never woke up from his nightmare and there was no one to tell him that everything was okay in the morning. David was just 8 years old when he was removed from his parents care because he’d witnessed domestic abuse.

When children are hurt by those meant to protect them, communities share strong opinions about the stories they hear. Many people have strong beliefs about what parents, social workers and other professionals involved should have done differently, but shy away from taking the step to become the difference themselves, yet their passion and care is desperately needed.

It’s a confusing puzzle to work out. When people have a natural gift to care and nurture, what stops them from offering their home to a child in need? What would it take to inspire people in their communities to take on one of the most challenging, but rewarding roles there is by contacting a Croydon foster care agency and become a Croydon foster carer, changing a child’s life forever?

Foster Care Croydon: Why become a Croydon foster carer?

There are many myths about foster care and caring for children who come from difficult backgrounds. For example, they are hard work, they create trouble for their carers or they are bad just like their parents, so what’s the point? People forget, they are just children. Sometimes they test boundaries with the adults in their life. Often they can present as rude or challenging. Sometimes they get into trouble at school or in the community, but that doesn’t mean they are intrinsically mad or bad. They are just children who have never experienced what it is to be loved or cared for in an appropriate way. It is easy to forget that from a young age they have learned that there aren’t many adults whom they can trust. For them it’s often easier and less painful to reject than be rejected. Lemn Sissay, an award winning poet and playwright, gives inspiring talks which challenge these ideas and he recalls his own experiences of the care system (view here).

Foster Care Croydon: What happened for David?

Fortunately for David there were Croydon foster carers, recruited by a Croydon foster agency, who did want to make a difference and helped David sleep easily once again.

“When David ­sent us a letter to say he’d been accepted to Newcastle University, my partner and I felt so amazingly proud. I quite can’t explain the feeling, but the idea that we’d played a part in shaping a positive future for him makes us so happy and satisfied that we’ve been part of changing a child’s life for the better.” David’s Croydon foster carer, Patricia said. David was the first Croydon foster child ever placed with us. It took about a month before David became settled in our home and that’s when he started to test the boundaries with tantrums, mood swings and refusing to go to school. There were days when it felt overwhelming and we wondered whether we were really skilled enough to do this job. But as he started to trust us and we witnessed him change from an anxious and unhappy child to a smiling and energetic boy, it was so rewarding.

David lived with us for two years altogether and was then moved to a long-term Croydon foster care family where he lived until he was eighteen. We knew the day would come when he would have to move on, as we are short-term Croydon foster carers. Although it was really upsetting to see him leave; knowing he was moving to a permanent Croydon foster care family, who would care and love him the way we did, made us feel reassured and happy. I feel privileged that I was able to be part of his life and create so many happy memories that have helped him to succeed in life.

We’ve since cared for fifteen more children as Croydon foster carers , all with different backgrounds, stories and personalities, and all with their own challenges and difficulties to overcome, but each with a shared desire to live in a safe and loving place they can call home. That’s sixteen lives that we’ve had a positive influence in changing through becoming Croydon foster carers. It’s a good feeling, and one I would highly recommend you experience.”

LiKa Family Fostering is on an inspiring journey to become an outstanding agency for Croydon foster carers and children. Read all about our vision here and our Ofsted report here. If you have ideas on what you would need to see and hear from a Croydon foster care agency that would inspire you to do something amazing and take the courageous jump to become a Croydon foster carer for the children in your local community, then please contact a member of our team on 020 8667 2111 or visit our website at likafamilyfostering.co.uk

LiKa are now recruiting. If you know someone you think would be an outstanding Croydon foster carer, please encourage them to visit the LiKa website and find out more about contacting a Croydon foster agency.